Speed-control mechanism for power-driven apparatus.



H. SAWYER.

SPEED CONTROL MECHANISM FOR POWER DRIVEN APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FI LED AUG-16,1916

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

H. SAWYER.

aSPEED CONTROL MECHANISM FOR POWER DRIVEN APPARATUS.

I ll "M @Hovmuz APPLICATION FILED AUG. 16. 1916- Patented Apr. 16,1918..

5] vwawfoz A EY SAWYER, OF MUsKECoN, MICHIGANVASSIGNOR TO SHAW ELECTRICCRANE,

* STATES PATENT Q G COMPANY, OF MUSKEGON, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OFMICHIGAN.

' v srEEn-oon'rnor. MECHANISM FOR, rowEE-nRIv NArrARAr s.

all whom, it may concern: Be it known thatI, I'IARRY I j citizen of theUnited States, residlng at Muskegon, in the county of Muskegon,

State of Michigan, have made a certain new and useful Invention in SpeedControl Mechanism for Power-Driven -Ap'paratus, of which thefollowing-is a specification.

This invention relates to speed control mechanism for power 7 driven'apparatus.

The objectof the invention .is to provide 'mechanism which is simple andeflicient for varying or controlling the speed at which hoisting orother power driven apparatus ma be operated. ther objects of theinvention will appear more fully hereinafter.

-' The invention consists substantially in th v construction,combination, location and relative arrangement of parts, all as will bemore fully hereinafterset forth, 'as shown I in the accompanying.drawings, and finally pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings M Figure 1 is a view in top plan, parts brokenout and,parts' in horizontal section, showing a speed control mechanismas applied to power. driven hoisting apparatus. Fig. 2 is a broken viewin top plan, on a somewhat larger scale than Fig. '1, partslinhorizontal section, showing a speed control gearing structure embodyingthe principles ofmy invention. v Fig. 3 is a view in vertical transversesection on the line 3, 3, Fig.2, looking in the direction of the arrows.I

The same part is'designated by the same it occurs pose to employindependent motors for ac:

tuating the apparatus to be driven and a gearing common to both motorsand adapted to 'be operated by each, independently of the other, or conointly by both for transmit- SAWYER, a

' Specification of LettersTatent. P t t Apr, 1 191 Application filedAugust s, 1916. Serial No. 115,201. 7

ting the driving power to the apparatus to.

be driven, and through the independent or conjoint operation of, whichmotors the desired speed variations are secured, and through which aWider range of variations is attained than is possible from a singlemotor. 5

While a speed varying mechanism embodying my invention is adapted foruse :which is to be power driven, and 5 is the main; power shaft fromwhich the drum is driven through any desired intermediate gearconnections, comprising in" the "ex ample. shown, the gearsfi, 7. These,however, are mere details and form no part of my present invention.

Power is applied from the motors 8, 9,

either independently ofor conjointly with each other, to, the shaft'5.In the particular formshown, to which, however, my invention is not tobe limited or restricted, the motor 8 may. be regarded,'in thisinstance,

as the main hoist motor. Thismotor is suitably connected to drive a spurgear 10 which is encompassed by an internally toothed annular gear 11,which is driven from the motor 9. A carrier 12 is connected to rotatewiththeshaft 5, and'upon's'a'id carrier are mounted pinions -13, capableof axial rotation upon pins 14* carried by the carrier 12. The pinions13 are disposed between and mesh with the spur gear 10 and theinternally toothed annular gear 11. In the particular form shown, towhich, how-' ever, my invention ,is not to be limited or restricted,three pinions 13 are employed and they are circumferentially spaced atequal distances apart. This gear arrangement constitutes a planetarygear system through which the shaft 5, and hence, the

drum 4 is driven whether the ohe or the other or both motorsare inoperation. Any suitable form of gearing may .be employed between themotor 9' and gear'll to drive the latter. In the form shown, to which,however, my invention is not to be limited or restricted, I employ aworm gear connection 14; for this purpose, one member of which isconnected to the shaft of motor 9, and the other to the wheel 15, whichcarries the annular internally toothed gear 11. The advantage of thisarrangement is i that where a worm gear is employed it is enabled toemploy the friction of the worm gear or of its end thrust hearing, orthe two combined, as a means to hold the worm gear from rotating Whilethe spur gear 10 is being independently driven by the hoisting motor 8without" the operation of the speed control motor 9. In other words,where it is desired to arrest the motor 9 and afi'ect th'espeedopera-tion solely from motor 8, then the friction of the worm gear andof its end thrust bearing is utilized to restrain the worm gear fromrotation.

The operation is exceedingly simple. Suppose 'the motor 8 is inoperation with the motor 9 standing still. In this case the spur gear 10will be rotated while the internal gear 11 will be fixed. By reasonoftne intermeshing of the pinions 13 with the rotating spur gear 10 andalso with the fixed internal gear 11, said pinions are not only rotatedaxially but they also travel around within the internal gear 11, therebyimparting rotation. to their carrier 12, and hence to the shaft 5, andapparatus to be driven, and at a speed and in a direction dependent uponthe speed and direction of motor 8,- and the gear ratios employed. Onthe other hand, if motor 8 is standing still and motor 9 is put intooperation, then thespu'r gear 11 is rotated, thereby causing the pinions13 to travel around the spur gear 10, and to r0- tate their carrier andthe shaft 5 and hence the apparatus to be driven, at a speed and in adirection dependent upon the speed and direction of the motor 9, and thegear ratios employed. By using a wormgear connection between the motor 9and internal gear 11, a very slow speed of operation of the apparatus tobe driven may be attained. Hence, if desired, the motor 8 may beregarded as the speed motor and the motor 9 as the slow speed motor. Byoperating both motors 8 and 9 in unison in either direction a speed ofoperation of the apparatus to be driven is attained which equals the sumof the speeds of the motors if operated separately, and hence at agreater speed than is attained with either motor acting singlyBy'operating the two motors coincidentally but in relatively oppositedirections a speed of operation of the apparatus to be driven isattained which equals the difference be tween the speeds which would beattained by the motors operating separately, thus attain ing a widevariation in the speed of operation. 7

It will be observed that the wheel 15 is not mounted directly on theshaft of pinion 10, but is mounted upon a sleeve 16, which is suitablymounted in fixed position in the easing-17, and the shaft of spur gear10 extends longitudinally through said sleeve. T his constructionrelieves the spur gear shaft of any wear or friction due to side thrustimposed by the planetary gear system, and consequent loss of power,imperfect action, looseness of parts, and noisy operation of theplanetary gears.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that fundamentally theessential characteristic of my invention is the application of a gearsystem which can be driven by either one or two motors or other sourcesof power, either one of which may be in operation and the other standingstill, or both of them operating at the same time, if desired.

and either in the same or in relatively oppositedirections, therebysecuring the desired range of speed variation, according to thecharacter of work to be performed.

Variations and changes in the details may readily occur to personsskilled. in the art and still fall within the spirit and scope of myinvention. I do not desire, therefore, to be limited or restricted tothe exact details shown and described.

But having now set forth the objects and nature of my invention, and aconstruction embodying the principles thereof, what I claim as new anduseful and of my, own invention, and desife to secure by Letters Patentis 1. In a speed control mechanism, the combination with a part to bedriven, and a drive shaft therefor, of a carrier mounted on said shaftat one end thereof, pinions mounted on said carrier, a spur gear and aninternally toothed gear, between which said pinions are positioned andwith which they are meshed, a shaft arranged in line with the driveshaft and carrying said spur gear at the end thereof proximately to saidcarrier, a motor for driving said shaft, said internally toothed gearbeing journaled independently of said shaft, and an independent motorfor driving said internally toothed gear.

2. In a speed control mechanism, the combination with a part to bedriven, of a carrier connected thereto, pipions mounted thereon, a spurgear and an internally toothed gear, between which said pinions arepositioned and with which they are meshed, a motor for driving said spurgear, a fixed bearing sleev'e, said internally toothed gear beingjournaled to rotate on said sleeve, and an independent motor for drivingsaid internally toothed gear.

3. In a speed control mechanism, a part to be driven, a driving shafttherefor, a carrier mounted on said shaft to rotate therewith, pinionssupported by said carrier, a spur gear, an independent shaft therefor, amotor for driving the spur gear shaft, an

internally toothed gear encompassing said my hand in the presence of thesubscribin spur gear, said pinions being interposed be- Witnesses onthis 18th day of July A. 1)., 10 tween and meshing with said spur gearand 1916. internally toothed gear, a worm gear c011- nectedto saidinternally toothed gear, and

an independent motor for driving said worm Witnesses:

gear. T. C. AKIN,

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set i W. B. BARKSTROM.

:IRY SAWYER.

